Nasser Persecution of Jews Condemned at Demonstration Here

December 20, 1956

NEW YORK (Dec. 19)

Prominent churchmen of various faiths members of the United States Congress and leaders in education, civic and communal affairs joined with the American Jewish Congress tonight to protest the Egyptian’s Government’s persecutions of Egyptian Jews. The protests were voiced at an emergency public rally sponsored by the AJC, at the Hotel Statler here.

Dr. Harry Gideonse, president of Brooklyn College, condemned the “lawless treatment of Jews,” warning that “never since the days of Munich have we been as near to another world war, or in such a complete state of chaos as to the policies or even the facts that are involved.”

Dr. Joachim Prinz, a vice-president of the AJC, and rabbi of Congregation B’nai Abraham in Newark, N.J., whose former Berlin synagogue was burned by the Nazis, charged Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser with collaborating with top-Nazis in his terroristic program against Jews. He said Gen. Otto Remer headed the Egyptian training program which created the Fedayeen and the Algerian guerilla fighters. He named Willy Beisner and Johann Van Leers, both Nazis, as Nasser collaborators. Citing French intelligence sources, Dr. Prinz named the “infamous Karl Eichmann” as the man behind Egypt’s program of terror. Eichmann was the head of the Jewish Gestapo department in 1938. Together with Himmler, the rabbi charged, Eichmann was responsible for the murder of millions of Jews.

WARNS OF DANGER TO CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT

Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the Congress, who was chairman of the rally, warned Christians to beware of Nasser. “Christian Copts in Egypt are already uneasy,” Dr. Goldstein stated. “Hitler began with the persecution of the Jews; then he turned his attention to Christians who stood up for Christian principles. If the human rights of Jews in Egypt can be trampled upon with impunity because they are a defenseless religious minority, no religious minority in Egypt is safe.”

Another speaker at the rally was Congress woman Edna Kelly, of Brooklyn, who said she had told President Eisenhower that “our government must warn Egypt that we will use economic sanctions and other actions which will clearly indicate that we are opposed to an inflexible attitude of hatred, bigotry and fanatic determination to obliterate Israel.”

Other speakers scheduled to address the rally included Dr. Nahum Goldman, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive and president of the World Jewish Congress. Messages were also to be read from a number of leading personalities in political, religious and other circles.